


Names (Working Title)

by BeautifulNyx



Category: Original Work
Genre: Bilingual Character(s), F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Non-Consensual Kissing, Religion, SO GAY, Witch Hunters, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-01 01:58:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18790711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautifulNyx/pseuds/BeautifulNyx
Summary: Humans were naive to believe they were the only intelligent species on earth. Witches have existed for far longer than humans. They were supposedly sons and daughters of fallen angels. This, of course, didn't go over well with believers and they made it their mission to either destroy or control witches. Pandora, or Sarai, was one of these hunters, although she never did fieldwork.  At first, her life was simple, but then she had to deal with suitors, a stepmother, and a cold witch that is definitely the hottest woman Pandora had ever seen.





	1. Pandora

**Author's Note:**

> So... sorry for the weird summary, but yeah anyway.  
> Don't let the tags worry you. The self-harm (at least in this chapter) is only an urge that is not acted on. Non-Consensual kissing does not lead to anything more.

The peaceful silence of the morning was broken by a small giggle. A baby laid in a small crib, grasping at the tail of a cat who decided to join her. The surprisingly calm cat let out a gentle purr, something that made the baby giggle even harder. A few paces over there was another crib, this one filled with a cooing baby as a small robin twittered around her head. Footsteps disturbed the scene as a sleep-filled lady approached the second crib. She smiled at the baby and the baby smiled back.

“Come here, Beauty.” The nickname slipped out easily as the woman brought the baby out of the crib. The baby gurgled with happiness and reached for the bird that had now made its home on the woman’s shoulder. A second set of footsteps entered the room, these more cautious than the first. The woman turned to the newcomer and let out a small smile. “It’s ok, darling, you can come in.”

The newcomer gave a hesitant cheek kiss in thanks before moving to the other crib. She carefully reached in a grabbed the baby. She brought the baby over to the first pair and the two adults shared warm smiles.

<4 weeks earlier>

Pandora definitely wasn’t where she was supposed to be. During observation week it was forbidden to leave the church grounds without explicit permission. Which Pandora definitely didn’t have, but could you blame her. Between her monster of a step-mother and Zane, her disgusting suitor, the confines of the church were getting too stuffy. Now, she didn’t have anything against Zane, it was just that he couldn’t take a hint and most certainly not her type. For one, he was too arrogant and stubborn. For another, despite being over twenty he still looked prepubescent. Finally, he wasn’t a girl, so that was three strikes against him. Truly, she couldn’t hold it against him, but that didn’t mean she had to enjoy his company. So instead of wandering the church gardens, she was taking a quiet ride through fields, basically allowing her dapple grey appaloosa, Armonía, free rein. A phone ring pulled her mind away from her thoughts. She was surprised she got even get service this far out from the main town. Pandora dug her phone out from the saddlebags. The name “Madrastra” flashed on the screen. She took a deep sigh before answering the phone.

“Hello, Madra--”

“English please, Sarai. Why are you not at the church? The head council wanted to meet you and you made a fool out of me!” A shrill voice filtered through the phone speakers.

“Please let me explain. Zane wouldn’t leave me alone so I went out to clear my head and get some air. I meant to come back, but Armonía spooked and I got lost trying to calm her.” Pandora, or better known as Sarai at the church, explained with a quick apologetic look at the horse for her little lie.

“You get back this instance, I’m revoking your stable privileges for a month, or until you get off your high horse and accept the Williams boy’s advances. He is the best you’re going to get.”

“Madras--” She cut herself off, remembering the woman’s earlier warning. “Fine, I’ll be back soon.” She quickly ended the call before her step-mother could get another word in. As she rode back, a familiar itch crawled under her skin. The itch urged her to scream and shout, to scream her darkest secrets to the world. It urged her to take her chipped nails and rake them across her bare arms until they bled red with hatred. She ignored it though, just like she had been doing for the past 20 years since her mom died. She absolutely hated her step-mother, and in this case, hate wasn’t even a strong enough word. She was homophobic, a bigot, and a racist, which really sucked because not only was Pandora a flaming homosexual, she was also very clearly Hispanic. Her step-mother also chose to ignore her first name, stating that “Pandora is idolizing false gods and should not be a name for a Christian girl.” So when Pandora got baptized she declared in front of the entire congregation that Pandora’s new name was Sarai and her old name should be forgotten. It was a terrible living situation and the cherry on top, her father, a French native, didn’t understand the snide remarks the woman made and or why they were offensive. Pandora, however, loved her father dearly and despite being a terrible woman in general, she genuinely seemed to make her father happy, so she didn’t speak up.

Before she knew it, she had reached the church stables. She dismounted Armonía with practiced grace and handed her off to Juliana, the first girl she had ever kissed who then promptly decided she would stick to boys. Juliana was now happily engaged to the director of communications’ son, Luke. They stayed good friends though, and Juliana liked to joke if it wasn’t for Pandora she would never have had her “straight awakening.” As she passed through the barn, stable hands gave her small waves and sympathetic gazes. She supposed a word of her ban had already reached the ears of the workers. Pandora made her way out of the barn and waved off the shuttle driver that offered to take her the ½ mile back to the main church building. She preferred walking through the woods, instead of driving through them. Halfway through her walk, a presence joined her.

“Thought I’d find you here.” The unmistakably cocky voice of Zane destroyed the peace that came with a walk through the woods. “You know the drivers are paid to drive people around, not to be waved off like some butler.”

She whirled around to face him, stopping in her tracks. “I’m pretty sure the dorm butlers get paid more than the drivers. Why do we even need them? A ½ mile isn’t even that far of a walk.”

“Because maybe people have places to be that doesn’t allow time for a ½ mile walk, but enough of that. Have you thought any more about my question?”

The memory of Zane’s botched proposal came to mind and made her shiver. “No offense, Zane, but I have no want to marry. Plus I don’t think we’re a good match.”

“How can you be so sure? You haven’t given me a chance. Come on, Sarai! We’re perfect for each other, how can you not see that. If you don’t, believe me, we could use a Koi No Yokan charm, it’ll prove I’m right.”

A Koi No Yokan charm was a stone developed by witches that was supposed to reveal true love. Hunters basically relied on them, which was weird. Why would hunters rely on a charm made by the very thing they were supposed to hunt. She realized Zane had continued talking.

“If you want I can go and fetch one. I’m sure the head wouldn’t mind giving me leave to woo my future wife.”

Panic filled her entire being. She had no doubt that a true Koi No Yokan charm would say no, but knowing Zane he would rig one to just say yes. If that happened there would be no way she could get out of it. The church took fate very seriously and if one of the stones said they were fated to be together, they would be married within the week. She made a split second decision. “No! You don’t have to trouble yourself with it. Isn’t it tradition for the potential future bride to procure one.”

“Hm, I guess you are right. You should check in with your mother then leave immediately. I can’t wait for a second longer.” He pressed himself close enough to Pandora for her to feel his breath. Then he proceeded to grab her shoulder and press a deep kiss to her lips.

Now, Pandora wasn’t small by any means. She was 6’4”, but at that moment she felt small and stiffened in fear. Deep in her mind, she knew Zane would never risk his position as a hunter to take advantage of her, but it didn’t make the situation any less scary.

He soon pulled back and didn’t seem to care that Pandora hadn’t reciprocated the moment. “Come, I must get you back before your mom has my head for keeping you out so long.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him.

If Pandora wasn’t in such a state, she would have protested the use of the word ‘mom’, but she was scared to oppose Zane. He had the power and she couldn’t do anything about it.

The church. Full title “First Church of the Witch Hunters.” Yeah, a mouthful. When humans became aware that they shared the earth with these beings that supposedly descended from fallen angels, churches like that started to pop up everywhere. In these churches, kids were taught that God was the one true savior and these beings were just the minions of Lucifer in disguise. They had to be eradicated. This is where the problem laid. Witches were immortal, not invincible, however, but still immortal. This gave the witches years of experience over the hunters. It was bloody, hunters were losing more members than witches they killed, but never say the hunters weren't resilient. Eventually, about 100 years ago, the head of the church proposed an idea. He explained that witches could be useful, so the church stopped openly killing witches. This didn’t mean there weren’t a few “accidents” here and there, but for the most part, they stopped. Now instead of being treated as enemies, they were treated like pets. They were heavily regulated and expected to come at beck and call. If you asked Pandora, which no one really did, she’d tell you the system was unfair.

The church was filled with radicals that would like nothing more than to destroy an entire species. Not that she didn’t love God, and or not believe in him, but she had a hard time believing that witch hunting is what He wanted for His people.

Anyways, the church, in reality, looked more like a college campus that an actual church. The main building was gigantic, it could easily fit as many people as a football stadium in it. Next to it was the gym and training center. Outside was a giant courtyard space that acted as a common meeting area. Further away, separated by a river that flowed through the entire campus, was the dorms. These housed any hunter over the age of ten until they got married. On top of that, a few miles over, in a deep valley, is where the church housed the families. The gardens, Pandora’s favorite place, were hidden behind the looming church building, but they were beautiful and well kept.

Pandora became aware that Zane was dragging her to the atrium, where she could faintly see her step-mother sitting. The closer they approached the more agitated Pandora could tell she was.

“Hello! Mrs. Thomas, I’m sorry to keep Sarai from you, but I just had to steal her away for a few moments.” Zane called out, not picking up on the woman’s mood.

When the sound reached her ears, the woman jumped up and hurried her way over to them. “Sarai Thomas! You are in so much trouble if dear Zane wasn’t here you’d be grounded for weeks!” She quickly grasped Pandora’s arm and pulled her closer, before turning to Zane. “Thank you for bringing her back safely, and please tell your father that we’ll gladly join him for dinner.”

Before Pandora could protest and speak, Zane piped up, “Actually, Mrs. Thomas, Sarai was wondering if she could take leave to procure a Koi No Yokan charm. Of course, I would have gotten it the instant she asked, but she wanted to be traditional.”

“Oh darlings, of course she can, observation week is ruined anyway,” She gave a pointed glare to Pandora, “I expect you back by nightfall two days from now. Hurry along, and take Officer Jackson with you.”

Pandora finally wrenched her arm free and stalked off with barely a nod. Time to find Officer Jackson.


	2. Flirting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pandora meets a witch and proceeds to embarrass herself.

Officer Jackson, giant, buff, strong, stoic, can’t ride a horse to save his life. Man, did the stablehands have a sense of humor. There he was, in all of his glory, sitting atop a small Haflinger horse. It was a hilarious sight. On the other hand, Pandora rode on her father’s horse, a beautiful black Clydesdale.

“How far away is this den?” Jackson’s shaky voice called up to her.

She chuckled before replying, “The records say her house is just a few more minutes up this way. If you’re feeling uncomfortable, however, we can take a break.”

“No, no, I don’t want to hold you back, let’s continue on.”

She smiled before urging the horse faster. “Suit yourself, c’ mon.”

They arrived at a country style mansion. The looming house was quite bright and peaceful looking, definitely not something you would expect a witch to live in. There was no driveway, only a path that led to these grand front doors. She got off her mount with the same grace as before and chuckled as she watched Jackson struggle to get off his. The young gelding seemed pretty irritated by his rider’s incompetence. Finally, after what seemed like a century, he dismounted and took the reins of his horse.

“Jackson, would you be a dear stay with the horses, I’ll be quick I promise.”

He sighed and nodded, taking the Clydesdale's reins from her hand. 

She walked up to the grand doors and before she could knock, they swung open with a flourish revealing a dark atmosphere with a grand staircase, leading to rooms unknown. A soft and breathy voice singing floated to Pandora’s ears. The song was in a language she didn’t recognize, but the more she listened to it, the more she realized each word was in a different language. She recognized some French and some Spanish. It sent a pang through her heart. Her parents refused to teach her any language other than English and when she was finally old enough to want to learn Spanish, it was too late.

She walked past the staircase. The large windows that decorated the exterior seemed nonexistent. All of a sudden, the world seemed to brighten. Curtains opened in an instant and a beautiful transitional style living room was revealed. It was so jarring Pandora didn’t see the figure in the middle of the room, swaying to her own song. The figure was clothed in a lilac cloak and you could see the hem of a renaissance era dress peeking out.

“Einhver er hér.” The melodic voice spoke to something in her arms before lifting her head and speaking again. “Kundigen Sie sich an!”

Pandora startled and let out a tiny gasp. The strange figure was tall, perhaps even taller than Pandora herself. Under the hood of the cloak, she could see some strands of blonde hair with a hint of silver and gold in them.

The figure seemed to grow exasperation. “Nicht Deutsch? Hm. ¿Español? ¿No? Français?” The figured groaned, “普通话怎么样？Ugh! English!?”

“Um, yes, I speak English,” Pandora answered hesitantly.

“Finally!” The figure turned around and Pandora’s brain stopped for a minute, barely registering her surroundings, or the cat the woman held in her arms. The woman was absolutely beautiful, her icy white eyes were lined with white eyeliner that ended with a sharp black wing. Her lips featured a prominent cupid’s bow enhanced by purple lipstick. The woman pulled down her hood and reveal a mess of blonde hair with metallic strands woven in. The hair was styled in different braids. The top of her head featured a dutch braid that split off into a fishtail and a simple three-strand braid. From there she couldn’t comprehend what was happening. It was definitely messy but it only served her mysterious aura.

“Hi, I’m Pandora,” She gave an awkward wave and mentally cursed herself at the interaction.

“Were you not paying attention to anything I was saying? What do you need hunter.” She said “hunter” with such venom, Pandora took a step back.

“Um, I need a Koi No Yokan charm.” She asked sheepishly, fiddling with the zipper of her black leather jacket. It only served to remind her that she was severely underdressed. The leather jacket, form-fitting dark wash jeans, and black combat boots were standard clothing for witch hunters, but it seemed inappropriate in this situation.

The witch groaned, “Aren’t you aware Koi No Yokan charms are all fake? Sure there are some authentic Koi No Yokan charms but the spell used to create them was only passed down orally, and your kind killed most witches who knew the spell. If you still want one then sure, I’ll make one, but I’m just warning you.” She stepped closer to Pandora, her red renaissance style dress swished as she walked.

“Actually, I wanted you to make one that can only say no. I’ve got a suitor who won’t let up and he’s making me use a Koi No Yokan charm. I was hoping a no would finally make he quit.” She admitted and to her surprise, the witch’s gaze softened.

“Sure, I’ll make you one, it’ll require less work than a fake charm anyways.” She allowed the large calico cat to jump out of her arms. Pandora jumped a little bit when the animal sauntered over to her. She looked down and caught the cat’s gaze. Something flickered behind them, and Pandora reeled back with a gasp. “A familiar.”

“Of course she’s a familiar, don’t worry Winter too lazy to do anything to you.” The last part of the sentence was directed at the cat, who merely yawned in response. “Don’t act like it’s not true, you fluffy freeloader. But anyways, Pandora was it, follow me.”

Pandora was led through a corridor of floor to ceiling windows and she couldn’t but notice the landscape was flat and snowy, completely different from the rolling hills that Pandora had entered from.

As if she could sense her confusion, and maybe she could, the witch spoke, “You didn’t think I would build my home so close to a church, did you? The house you entered is just an enchanted empty shell, it just serves as a portal to my real house.”

“What if someone wanted to hurt you, they could easily get in.”

“What is this? A hunter concerned for a witch, don’t worry your pretty head. The doors won’t let in someone with malintent. Even if they did, I can handle myself.” As a demonstration, her hands lit up with purple magic. 

“What does it feel like?”

“What?” The question clearly caught the witch off guard. “What does it feel like? I guess it’s really soothing. It doesn’t really touch me, it’s more of a caress. It feels alive.”

“That’s really cool! Um, I never got your name, I’ve just been calling you ‘witch’ in my head.” Pandora mentally facepalmed.

“Cassiopeia, at your service.”

“That’s such a pretty name, the Cassiopeia of mythology was very beautiful, seems like you take after her.” Pandora’s face, despite being the one giving the compliment, blushed a fierce red.

Cassiopeia stopped in her tracks, “Are you flirting with me?”

“Oh my gosh, are you straight? I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

Cass looked at her confused, “Straight? Are you asking if I like males? Not that it’s any of your business, but no, I do not.”

“Then why were you so defensive about me flirting with you?”

“Because you're a hunter, and I’m a witch. Need I say more.” Cassiopeia turned on her heel, pulled up her hood, and stalked away.

“But the church doesn’t hunt witches anymore, so why can’t I flirt with you.” Pandora rushed to keep up with Cassiopeia’s new pace.

“Yet you still keep the hunter name. It doesn’t matter if the church doesn’t kill witches anymore, even though they still do, we’re still treated like tools. Even now, here you are asking for help. So no, you can’t flirt with me.”

“I was planning on paying you, name your price and I’ll get it to you.”

“I need you to leave the church.”

Pandora stopped dead, “I can’t do that.”

Cassiopeia kept walking “Why not, you clearly think like a sympathizer, yet you still endorse a church that has killed hundreds of my people. I’m also not sure how well your church would take your ‘flirting’.”

“Well, I’m not going to abandon God.”

This time Cassiopeia stopped and gave a big sigh. “Join a Methodist church or something. I’m not asking you to leave your God, I’m asking you to leave your church. Despite what you guys think we’re not Lucifer’s children or some crap, our history tells us that we’re actually descendants of angels. Your church just added the ‘fallen’ adjective because it doesn’t like what it can’t explain. Now follow me, and no more questions.”

They finally reached a study. Books filled shelves from the floor to the ceiling. A desk sat in the middle of the room with papers that covered every inch of it. There was a stereotypic cauldron on the other side of the desk, and a snoring sound came from within it. Cassiopeia walked gracefully into the room and lifted a small black cat out of the cauldron. She held the cat up to her shoulder and the cat crawled into the space between the hood and her hair. Soon the soft snores started up again. 

“So what else do you want for payment?”

Cassiopeia gave a sigh. “I want a foal. I know your church owns stables, I want either your oldest foal of the season or your youngest from last season.”

“Um, I’ll try.”

Cassiopeia glided around the room. She pulled a hose from the ceiling and started to fill the cauldron with water. A bird fluttered into the room and began picking up blue petals from different barrels around the room. The bird dropped them into the cauldron while Cassiopeia walked over to the wall. She opened a panel to reveal a cabinet. Inside the cabinet were smooth grey stones. She studied them for a moment before choosing a slightly lumpy stone.

 

Pandora looked at her slightly confused.

“Why waste a good stone on a rigged charm.” The hose released back into the ceiling and the bird dropped a few more petals into the cauldron, the bird settled on Cassiopeia’s shoulder. She didn’t do anything else except stand there.

“What are you waiting for? Why are you just standing there?”

“The petal water has to sit for a bit, I’m just gathering my strength.”

“Hey, ugh, I heard you speaking Spanish earlier.”

“¿Prefieres hablar en español? Simplemente no respondiste antes. ¿Puedo hablar español si quieres?”

Pandora took a step closer. “No! No! No! The problem is I don’t speak Spanish, and you obviously do.”

“What’s your point here?”

“Can, ugh, can you teach me Spanish?”

Cassiopeia turned to her confused. “Why would you want that?”

“My mother died before she could teach me and my father refuses to get me lessons. I feel like learning Spanish would help me connect to her.”

“I feel like we don’t have time for a full Spanish lesson, but maybe you could tell me your favorite lullaby and I can sing it in Spanish?” She seemed to surprise herself with the offer.

“‘Hush, Little Baby’ was always my favorite,” Pandora answered, sheepishly.

“Ok,” Cassiopeia took a deep breathe, “Calla, bebé lindo, en silencio estés Mama va a comprarte un pájaro cantor. Si ese pajarito de cantar dejase…”  
As she sang, she swayed and began to move her hands. The water started to bubble as if it was boiling, but as far as Pandora could tell there was no heat source under the cauldron. A soft creature brushed past her and jumped up onto the table. It was a small, black and grey splotched cat. It began to purr in tandem with Cassiopeia’s singing. Much to Pandora’s disappointment, the lullaby ended and she finally dropped the rock into the mixture.

She turned to the cat on the table. “Harley! You’re supposed to be sorting the gems for our next client. Shoo, get back in there.”

Pandora wasn’t sure if a cat could sort, but hey, she didn’t know the finer details about familiars. Tired of the silence, she spoke up, “Do you have a hobby? Other than potion brewing.”

“I’m a master of the arts. I can weave, wood-work, paint, draw, play instruments, anything you name it. I also make my own jewelry.” She waved around a hand that held a simple silver ring that looked like ivy climbing up her finger.

“Wow! That’s really pretty.” The conversation lulled to an uncomfortable stop before a thought entered Pandora’s brain. “You said most of the witches who knew how to make the true Koi No Yokan charm were dead--”

“Yes, killed by your people.” Cassiopeia snarked.

“Uh, yes, but are you a witch that knows the spell or recipe to make one?”

Cassiopeia took a deep sigh, “Yes, it’s one of the first spells I learned. Each witch starts with basic spells and a specialty, my specialty was going to be love magic.”

“Was?”

“I switched to combat magic when the massacres started.”

“The First Massacre.” Pandora’s mind wandered to the story that ever trainee knew, the First Massacre was the first of twelve battles that killed plenty of innocent people...on both sides of the battle.

“No, are your kind really that conceited that they believe they were the first organization to come after us, no not even close. Witches originated in Europe and Asia and we lived secretly for hundreds of years before finally, some people spotted a few children practicing magic in the woods. That’s when the biggest massacre of our people happened.”

“Oh… you’re really that old?”

“I’ve lived longer than you can even imagine, now here.” She reached into the cauldron and pulled out the stone. It didn’t seem different, it just had a blue tint that disappeared as the water dripped off of it. “I trust you know the ritual, just perform it as such, but the stone will say no.” She shoved it into Pandora’s hands before turning back to her cauldron.

Pandora watched as she waved her hands and magically brought the blue solution out of the cauldron and into a giant glass jar that had appeared onto the table.

“Now go, I have a client coming soon. When you get to the front door think of where you want to go and only keep your thoughts on that.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t want you to get lost in Rome.” A new voice with a German accent filtered through the room.

Pandora quickly whipped around. There was a woman with fiery red hair and striking golden eyes. Her eyes then drifted down to the newcomer’s outfit. It was a navy blue, lacy form-fitting cocktail dress.

“Like what you see, darling? Sorry, I’m in a closed verhältnis.” Pandora didn’t know what that word meant, but from the newcomer flashing a diamond ring, she got the point.

“She’s been flirting with me all day, too.” A smile broke out across Cassiopeia’s face. “Emilia! It’s so good to see you.” She crossed the room to hug the stranger, now named Emilia.

“You should visit more often, Cass. I’m quite jealous that Rain gets to see you so often.” Emilia broke the hug and turned her gaze to Pandora. “Let’s continue this discussion when the hunter leaves.”

The glare was enough to get her feet moving. She rushed out of the dark room into the impossibly bright hallway. The landscape outside hadn’t changed much except for the flurries that were slowly falling. After trekking through the living room she reached the front door. Careful to keep the witches’ warnings in mind, she stepped through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (German) Kündigen Sie sich an-Announce yourself  
> (Icelandic) Einhver er hér-Someone is here  
> Nicht Deutsch-Not German  
> ¿Español?-Spanish?  
> Français- French  
> 普通话怎么样-How about Mandarin   
> ¿Prefieres hablar en español? Simplemente no respondiste antes. ¿Puedo hablar español si quieres?-Do you prefer to speak in Spanish? You just did not answer before. I can speak Spanish if you want.  
> Verhältnis- Relationship

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it to the end, please leave a comment if you liked it, or even if you did not like it. As always constructive criticism is always welcomed.


End file.
